NFL Draft Scouting Report: Gerald Everett

South AlabamaTight End #12Senior, 6’2, 227

strong hands to pluck fastballs out of the air and seal catches in traffic

most of the time a willing blocker with quick hands to engage but needs technique work

two-time first team All-Sun Belt

Senior Bowl participant

Just beginning to pick up football his senior year of high school, Gerald Everett was not a highly sought after football recruit. Even with just one year of experience, Everett still received all-conference honors in his senior season at Columbia High School in Lithonia, Georgia. He also lettered in track and basketball in high school. Everett’s only football offer came from Bethune-Cookman, but even after he signed with the school he took the junior college route enrolling in Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. After his junior college stint, Everett singed his letter of intent to play at UAB. In his first season, Everett saw the field in all 12 games including one start. In his lone year with the Blazers, Everett caught 17 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown.

After UAB was forced to dismiss its football program, all UAB players with eligibility left were allowed to transfer without penalty and Everett settled at South Alabama. Everett made an immediate impact for the Jaguars starting every game in 2015 with All-Sun Belt honors. He continued that theme in 2016 as he repeated as a first team all-conference performer and was invited to participate in the Senior Bowl at his home stadium in Mobile. In his two-year career at South Alabama, he had 90 catches for 1,292 yards and 12 touchdowns and helped guide the team to its second bowl bid in school history.

In a talented tight end crop, Everett is not far from the top as his consistency and production matches well with the best of them. Versus his biggest opponent this season, Everett racked up eight catches for 95 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to defeat Mississippi State (South Alabama’s first win over a Power Five school in school history). The senior stands out most with his above average athleticism as he shows smoothness in his routes with no hitch in his movements when changing direction. As a receiver, Everett shows he can run every route as he shows off his acceleration after he plants his foot capping off a sharp route for the quarterback.

Everett is virtually never fully covered as he has made multiple catches with defenders draped all over him.

Here are a couple of those occurrences.

Everett does deal with the occasional concentration drop as he doesn’t always tuck the ball away before turning upfield. His big mitts call for him to stow away contested catches in traffic, embracing for the contact to come. He has a habit of plucking balls out of the air in the redzone whether open or in congested areas.

Everett calls for more attention as he wreaks havoc on single coverage having enough athleticism to turn a double move into a deep reception downfield. He also executes big plays out of single coverage after the catch, as he does not often go down by one defender.

Being a vertical threat is also part of Everett’s game as he can threaten the field in all sorts of ways.

As a blocker, Everett needs to improve in multiple areas and he will be the first to tell you that. The willingness is there for the most part but the consistency and technique is not. Everett gets in a bad habit of reaching from an upright position therefore leading to a lack of force and effectiveness on the outside. He shows enough power is his wrists and in his upper body to power through and jolt defenders off the snap and in space.

Overall, Everett is an intriguing talent that boasts top-notch athleticism at the tight end position paired with his above-average receiving ability. With strong and mostly reliable hands to snag passes at will in traffic or downfield, Everett continues to show why he is one of the better receiving tight end prospects in the class. He may have some hiccups when addressing the blocking element of his game in the league but he should at least provide enough fireworks on third down to be a consistent contributor.

Green and Everett share the top-notch athleticism and solid route running skills to be effective third down tight ends. Green has made strides as a blocker learning from one of the best tight ends of all time, Antonio Gates, and there’s no doubt that Everett can make strides as well.